DATE: Jan. 6, 2006
Sophomore Matt Climie posts fifth career shutout, helps BSU snap six-game winless streak

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (RMU Island Sports Center) - Bemidji State sophomore goaltender Matt Climie (Leduc, Alberta) posted his fifth career shutout, backstopping the Beavers to a 2-0 victory over the Robert Morris Colonials in a College Hockey America contest.

Climie’s shutout is the 15th in BSU’s seven seasons at the Division I level and the 84th in the 50-season history of the BSU program. Climie has been in net for each of BSU’s last three shutouts and for five of the last six. His five career shutouts tie Grady Hunt ‘04 for BSU’s career Division I-era record and move him into a four-way tie with Steve O’Shea ‘86, Adam Pavlatos ‘00 and Hunt for fourth on BSU’s all-time shutout list.

Climie received all the support he would need from the BSU offense in the second period. Shane Holman (Hibbing, Minn.) scored his first goal of the season to break a scoreless tie at 5:58 of the second period, with assists from Matt Allen (New Westminster, B.C.) and Blaine Jarvis (Gladstone, Manitoba). Allen recorded the first assist of his career, helping Holman notch his first game-winner since Jan. 21, 2005 at Ala.-Huntsville.

Jean-Guy Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba) staked BSU to a 2-0 lead on a five-on-three power play at 18:22 of the second with his eighth goal of the season. He was assisted by Luke Erickson (Roseau, Minn.) and Ryan Huddy (Stony Plain, Alberta) on the marker.

Erickson’s assist snapped a career-long six-game scoreless streak and marked the 88th point of his career to move him into a tie with Riley Riddell ‘03 for fourth on BSU’s career Division I-era scoring list.

The 2-0 lead held through a wild third period, which saw BSU pepper Robert Morris with 22 shots on net. The BSU defense limited the Colonials to just seven shots, and the Beavers survived the final 1:35 with the Colonials playing in front of an empty net to secure the shutout.

Climie improved to 4-5-1 with the victory and snapped a personal five-start winless streak. He saved all 26 shots he faced in the shutout.

He out-duelled Robert Morris’s Christian Boucher, who piled up 48 saves in the losing effort. He saw his season record fall to 4-11-1. He was 22-for-22 in the third period in just 18:25 of work as the Colonials played the game’s final 1:35 with an empty net.

The Beavers out-shot Robert Morris 50-26 in the contest, recording its highest single-game shot total since it also notched 50 shots at Ala.-Huntsville on Dec. 11, 2003. BSU’s 50 shots tied for the fourth-most in a game in its Division I era and mark the program’s sixth 50-shot effort since 1999. The Beavers notched 16 shots in the first period, 12 in the second and 22 in the third to tie for the third-most shots in a single period in the program’s Division I era.

The game was relatively penalty-free, as each team was whistled for just four minor penalties each. BSU went 1-for-4 with the man advantage, while the Colonials were scoreless on four chances.

The Beavers improved to 5-0-0 all-time against Robert Morris and posted their second consecutive shutout in the series. In three all-time games at Robert Morris, BSU has allowed a total of one goal.

The Beavers continued their recent domination of College Hockey America opposition, improving to 40-9-3 over their last 52 regular-season games against the conference with the victory. BSU improved to 67-42-13 all-time in regular-season CHA play.

BSU saw its season record improve to 10-7-2 with the victory, and the Beavers improved to 5-2-0 in College Hockey America play to close their deficit with first-place Niagara to a single point. Robert Morris fell to 4-12-1 and 1-4-0 in CHA play. The teams wrap up their two-game series tomorrow with a 7:35 p.m. Eastern opening face off.

--bsu--